A Soldier’s Way

ABOUT THIS FILM:

“A Soldier’s Way” follows the story of soldiers Steven Barr (Tim Llewellyn) and Chris Villanueva (Grey Acuna) during a tour in Afghanistan, simultaneously exploring their lives/commitments stateside. Steven Barr is the modern soldier, from his physique to his adrenaline addiction, with a wife Andrea (Molly May Rockwell) and child (Kohen Marburger) wishing they had more of his focus between multiple tours of duty. Chris Villanueva is a combat photographer assigned to Barr’s company during a routine tour in-country, who has a healthier relationship with his pregnant wife, Lacey (Bonnie Gayle), and combat career. The film explores the connection between these two soldiers and their families back home, blurring the line between here and now, much like a dream, as both worlds face a deteriorating reality. Chad Windham (Cinematographer) has shaped a visual perspective with bold imagery that harkens back to military films that helped define generations while mining the modern mental state of war for its soldiers and their spouses.

FILMMAKER BIOS:

Adam Dietrich is a filmmaker based in Texas. Adam is passionate about storytelling in various formats on a spectrum of platforms. His past work includes producing and designing the award winning feature film “Windsor” starring Barry Corbin and Madelyn Deutch, and the 1950’s mystery thriller, “The Vast of Night” (premiering at Slamdance 2019). He’s produced, directed, and designed for 20 years, including the award winning film, “The Flood” starring Emmy Award Winner Ed Asner, and the controversial award-winning drama “Knowing”. He’s written, directed, and produced over a dozen episodes of television including hybrid shows like “Murder Made Me Famous”, “Scandal Made Me Famous”, and “The Price of Fame” for the REELZ Network. Adam is passionate about supporting the creative arts in North Texas, with a background in non-profit arts, specifically encouraging new works by local artists for over a decade. He is creative partners with his lifelong best friend, Elliott Gilbert, through their company Adam and Elliott Moving Pictures, and is excited to continue three decades of collaboration.

Elliott Gilbert II is a multi-hyphenate with over a decade of industry experience. He was co-founder of The Butterfly Connection and co-owner of Adam and Elliott Moving Pictures, LLC with his life long best friend and collaborator Adam Dietrich. Elliott studied film production at The University of Texas at Arlington under Andy Anderson, Bart Weiss, Yake Smith, and Mark Clive where he graduated Cum Laude with a BFA. Elliott also interned as an operations associate under Dennis Bishop at the Lone Star Film Society, where he worked to host the Lone Star International Film Festival Fort Worth in Sundance Square 2010, which featured guest artist such as T Bone Burnett, Jeff Bridges, Marty Bowen, Callie Khouri and John Lee Hancock. Elliott has cast dozens of branded content, reality tv, commercials, and films. He produced the award winning feature film Windsor starring Barry Corbin, and the award winning short film “The Flood” starring Ed Asner. His current award winning short film “Knowing” is on the film festival circuit. He directed and produced an episode of the hit television show “Murder Made Me Famous” for REELZ, as well as Art Direct’s other hits shows including “The Price of Fame”, “Scandal Made Me Famous”, and “Murder Made Me Famous”. He continues to explore the docudrama genre. In addition, to narrative storytelling, Elliott enjoys helping clients achieve their goals, recently finishing work on a national campaign with Coca Cola and Jordan Speith.

Plays in

Drama Block: Intense Stories of Service

This selection of shorts include projects that deal with stories of loss, survival, and resilience. International films are also featured in this lineup.